A GLIMPSE INTO WETSUIT MANUFACTURING

At Ocean Tec USA, every wetsuit is handcrafted one by one. We implement a lot in order to craft our wetsuits at an affordable price. We will take you through step by step how an Ocean Tec USA wetsuit is made and give you a glimpse at our tools and materials.  

Importance of Stitching: 

One of the most important features on a wetsuit, a solid stitch. The stitch and thread keeps your wetsuit intact and prevents it from falling apart. Imagine a 3 mm thick seam glued and tied together while you shove your body into it. There is a tremendous amount of stress that goes into all the seams when you simply put it on. We strive to use the best thread to keep our seams together for long lasting wear. Over the years, we have concluded that nylon thread on the inside adds comfort and bonded nylon thread on the outside ensures strength. So we now know why we choose to use our threads, but how do we choose the proper machine and technique to sew the seams together. We use two techniques, blind stitch and flat stitch. Lets start with blind stitch, this type of machine works with a curved needle and sews from the side at an angle. The curvature allows the need to puncture from the side of a seam and only enter about 1/3 of the way down through before turning and exiting on the other side of the seam. A brilliant way of stitching that doesn’t puncture all the way through the neoprene. This maximizes the warmth of every suit. Another kind of stitch that we use is the flat stitch. This is the stitch that enters straight through the top of the material and right back out the top creating a loop to hold the entire seam line together. This technique of stitching is extremely strong and affordable. It is ideal for securing the suit together and reinforcing spots on the wetsuit like the ends of the seams, zippers and other spots. 

Double Glued:

Double glued wetsuits are bonded together with a rubber cement prior to stitching. Than we roll out the seams and remove any bubbles that might affect a good cohesion. Gluing a wetsuit together is an extremely delicate craft, done piece by piece creating the backbone of the pattern. 

Private Labeling with Silk Screen:

In addition to made in the USA, private labeling is what makes us unique. Each wetsuit suit undergoes a series of logoing to “make it yours”. Our private label operations are done via silk screen and we use high stretch inks on every garment. 

 

We can provide you everything and anything you will need to know about our wetsuits. We hope you trust us and thank you for your continuous support!